Genius Blacksmith's Game

Ian was in shock.

“Things have changed a lot from the conditions two months ago.”

Korea’s number-one guild, Hwarang.

Hwarang’s recruitment manager had been desperate to sign Ian, who had been rank #1 among archers.

But not anymore.

“Back then you were #1, and now you’re #6.”

The recruiter had offered Ian the position of Archer Knights commander and far better terms than what he had just presented—but now, he was offering him a mere Archer Knights member slot.

“To be honest, our Hwarang guild expects you’ll be pushed out of the top 50 soon.”

The recruiter looked at the bow slung across Ian’s back.

“A truly outstanding horn bow is hard to come by. One gets made out of a thousand.”

He wasn’t showing the same burning enthusiasm as before.

If you come, great. If not, whatever.

With a tone that sounded almost regretful, he said,

“I don’t understand. Why would you choose something like a horn bow of all things?”

Ian stood up.

His head was a mess.

He logged out on the spot.

He hadn’t really planned on joining a guild to begin with. He’d only come to hear the offer because it was from Hwarang, the best guild in Korea.

And now he learned he was falling, day by day.

Thinking it might make him feel better, he told his friends’ group chat.

At first they sounded like they were comforting him, but then they said—

[Hobeom, honestly, I don’t get it either. Why a horn bow of all things?]

[You didn’t know? Hobeom’s a cringe patriot lol.]

Ian closed the group chat too.

He drank a ton and passed out.

Waking up clutching his splitting head, Ian heard the sound coming from the news.

[Last night, a Legend above Legend artifact was created in Korea......]

He turned off the TV.

It had nothing to do with him.

‘Should I quit?’

After splashing his face, Ian checked the message that had come to his phone.

It was from Hyun’s Forge.

[The horn bow you commissioned has been completed.]

For now, Ian went to the meeting place.

He’d said he had somewhere to go, and at the coordinates he’d sent, Ian could meet Hyun.

Ian received the bow—and froze in shock.

His eyes shook.

With a face that said he couldn’t understand it, he looked at the person who introduced himself as Hyunsoo.

“W-Why...... are you giving this to me......?”

If it had been Ian, he wouldn’t have sold it.

People never understood.

Why was a horn bow good?

Because it was the bow he’d ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) held as a child, and because so many legendary figures—Admiral Yi Sun-sin, Yi Seong-gye, Jumong—handled it well, and so on.

No one understood him, and everyone criticized his choice.

“I debated whether to sell it or not.”

Hyunsoo spoke with eyes full of certainty.

“But I decided the only person in Korea who can hold this horn bow is you, Ian.”

Only him?

The restriction says horn bow mastery must be Top Tier or higher. You’re the only user in Korea who’s achieved that, and because you have it, I believe you and this Jumong’s Horn Bow will create the best synergy.

When everyone said, why would you choose a horn bow of all things—

“Only you have the right to hold this bow.”

It wasn’t just him.

“H-Haha......”

Ian hugged the bow tight to his chest.

After holding it for a long time, Ian organized his thoughts.

He had promised him something.

If he received a bow he found satisfactory, he would make a video for Hyun’s Forge.

Three years ago, the person whose nickname was Editor Jin had been someone countless Korean streamers wanted to recruit.

In this moment, Ian made a vow. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

“I’ll make the best video for you.”

Ian was certain.

His video could settle Hyunsoo into the top five.

“And there isn’t much I can do, but I want to repay this debt. Is there anything you want?”

Hyunsoo only gave him a small smile as he looked at him.

“You, Ian.”

“......!?”

Then his story began.

The story of a small guild.

“We need the strongest Crack Shot to protect us.”

“......I’ll think about it.”

He meant it—he was going to think deeply about it.

It needed caution; he couldn’t decide on the spot.

“I’m going to challenge Divine Archer Baneka’s dungeon. It’s the ultimate goal of all archers.”

Ian parted with him.

And he entered Divine Archer Baneka’s dungeon.

Divine Archer Baneka’s dungeon.

Even when Ian had been rank #1—and even with countless unofficial rankers—people had attempted it.

But no one had ever seen the end of Divine Archer Baneka’s dungeon.

And yet, something unbelievable happened.

[You have cleared Divine Archer Baneka’s dungeon.]

For Ian holding his new bow, it was absurdly easy.

Soon, above the dead boss monster, a single soul appeared.

Divine Archer Baneka.

One of the Asgan Continent’s Ten Legends.

Though they were nothing more than a figure who had died in the past, Divine Archer Baneka was a beautiful woman.

They looked at Ian and admired him.

“One who holds a bow others would not hold.”

Divine Archer Baneka’s dungeon had only been the first step toward becoming their descendant.

They knew they possessed a special eye called the Aesthetic Eye.

They said,

“You have already made your decision.”

“.......”

Ian’s tangled thoughts melted away in an instant at those words.

Only then did Ian realize his body, having broken the trial, was slightly twisted.

As if he wanted to run to Hyun immediately.

Ian gave a small smile, and Baneka said,

“I believe you will inherit my pride. Go.”

At last, Ian turned his body.

Watching him run out, Baneka murmured,

“A meeting between a master bow and a master craftsman.”

Baneka felt it.

That their era was setting—and a new world was beginning.

Ian ran.

To be honest, Ian became certain that if he was with Hyunsoo, he could achieve limitless things.

What Hyunsoo had said to him.

“Only you have the right to hold this bow.”

The man who acknowledged him amid everyone’s blame and scorn. The one who told him his choice had been right.

[Ian: You said you’d repay the debt, right? I’m sorry to say this so soon after we parted. Please help me.]

Running like mad, Ian made it to within 500 meters of the prisoner camp.

Jumong’s Horn Bow that Hyun had made for him.

This horn bow had an effect like this.

[The appearance of Legend above Legend!]

An effect that announces the appearance of the greatest weapon. And Ian spotted the hundred-arrow barrage being fired into the prisoners.

He drew his bowstring at once.

SHWEEE—!

[Before the Greatest Bow]

[All arrows fired within a 50m radius of where the arrow passed ignite in flames.]

After burning every arrow, Ian immediately inserted a Baby Arrow into the Bamboo Guide Tube.

The person who handled a horn bow best in Ares was him.

Click.

[Hyun’s 14th Custom-Made Bow and the Baby Arrow create synergy.]

[Accuracy and penetration increase by 20%.]

And the horn bow Hyun gave him evoked Jumong himself.

In legend, Jumong was known to break through a range no one else could shoot.

This bow made that possible.

[Range increases by 90%.]

And in addition—

‘A longer range means your accuracy drops.’

But this bow covered even that.

[Accuracy increases by 81%.]

Jumong’s own bow.

He plucked the bowstring.

The Baby Arrow, separated from the Bamboo Guide Tube, struck the man called Kuhn at the speed of light.

And immediately after, he submitted his application to join Radiance.

[You have joined Radiance.]

Ian gave a small smile.

[Ian: I will protect you, Hyunsoo.]

With the strongest bow in the world.

Ian immediately turned to the Red Hood Guild, whose faces were plainly flustered.

[Ian: I’ll handle the Red Hood Guild, so don’t worry.]

[Hyunsoo: Are you sure you’ll be okay alone?]

Ian drew his bowstring.

Until recently, he had been a user on the brink of falling.

But now, it was different.

‘I still don’t know how far my power goes, either.’

If you had to describe Ian now, it was this.

[Ian Lv.???]

Unmeasurable.

Ian had power that couldn’t be measured by level alone.

He released the bowstring.

*****

[Hyunsoo: Are you sure you’ll be okay alone?]

[Ian: No problem.]

The Red Hood Guild was a guild within the top 200 of the guild rankings.

Ian was showing confidence even against a fight with a guild like that.

In truth, Hyunsoo was curious too—just how much power could Ian bring out now?

There was one thing he was sure of.

Ian had once been rank #1.

A new person had taken his #1 spot, but now even that person wouldn’t be a match for Ian.

And Hyunsoo looked at Red Dragon Brigade Leader Kuhn, who had been blasted back about 12 meters.

Right now, Hyunsoo’s HP was only 20%.

[Red Dragon Brigade Leader Kuhn Lv.351]

[HP drops below 92%.]

On the other hand, Red Dragon Brigade Leader Kuhn still hadn’t taken much damage.

Hyunsoo’s current level was only in the 270s.

‘He’s the strongest enemy I’ve ever met.’

Even though every one of Kuhn’s Red Dragon Brigade members was dead now, that one man might be stronger than all of them combined.

Hyunsoo checked his condition.

Most of his skills’ cooldowns still hadn’t returned.

And Kuhn, rising to his feet, looked toward where the prisoners were.

The prisoners who should have been slaughtered were breathing in relief.

And the Red Hood Guild was fighting a mere single archer.

Kuhn realized everything had been derailed.

And he saw the prisoners’ eyes watching Hyunsoo with worried looks.

Back in the borderlands not long ago—

Even Kuhn had once felt a small admiration when he watched the man called Hyun.

A situation that could only end in defeat.

He had spoken the words Even if it breaks and found a breakthrough.

And because Kuhn knew that unyielding will, he gripped his dagger tight and said,

“I’ll break you.”

The most miserably. The most brutally.

[Master of Assassins]

[Movement speed and attack speed increase by 55%.]

In Ares, the job class considered the strongest dealers was assassins.

Assassins belonged to the category with extremely low HP and defense, but in return they had damage 1.3 times higher than ordinary knights.

And that absurdly fast speed was the target of every user’s fear.

Especially if that target was the leader of an assassin group—then it became even more terrifying.

SKRAAAK—!

Kuhn brushed past Hyunsoo before Hyunsoo could even activate a skill.

[You are afflicted with Deadly Poison.]

[All stats temporarily decrease by 25%.]

[Attack speed and movement speed decrease by 40%.]

What makes assassins most troublesome is their speed that overwhelms the opponent.

And if the target’s speed is reduced, assassins can literally overwhelm them.

PIT, PIT-PIT-PIT-PIT, PIT

Hyunsoo felt daggers attacking from all directions.

With his slowed speed, he couldn’t respond to his own movements.

And from anyone else’s view, the duel between Kuhn and Hyunsoo could only look like Kuhn moving at the speed of light and toying with Hyunsoo.

That was exactly what it was.

Kuhn was slicing Hyunsoo into a wreck with the thinnest cuts.

Then he aimed low and broke Hyunsoo’s balance.

THUD—!

With his balance gone, Hyunsoo dropped to one knee.

“This is what you are.”

Kuhn asked,

“Are you broken?”

As Kuhn asked that and walked forward, he thought Hyunsoo had lost the will to fight.

In that instant, Hyunsoo snapped his sword up.

SKRAAAK—!

Cut in Kuhn’s moment of carelessness, Kuhn realized Hyunsoo was still holding up.

Hyunsoo knew there weren’t many ways out of this situation.

He was afflicted with Deadly Poison, and the enemy was still solid.

The enemy was twice as fast as he was now, and his level was high enough to crush Hyunsoo.

But as always, he didn’t give up.

As the cut Kuhn staggered, Hyunsoo pushed himself up.

Then an unknown sound began to hum in his ears.

‘Even if it breaks, without retreating.’

Was it his own voice repeating it?

No.

This sound was coming from the system.

Kuhn’s face twisted in confusion.

“You can’t break me.”

Hyunsoo stuffed all three grapes into his mouth and chewed.

Even if it breaks, without retreating.

“Absolutely.”

And Hyunsoo had a notification he’d heard dozens of times.

A notification that a new story was beginning.

But today, a completely different notification rang out.

[A story for you begins.]